Capturing fall's beauty

Monday

Nov 24, 2008 at 7:13 AMMar 27, 2013 at 7:49 AM

LOUIS R. CARLOZO CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Fall's here and with a gorgeous feast of colors that beg to be captured on your camera.

This time of year, when you want to get nice pictures of the leaves and sky, you want your colors to be really saturated to show them off, says Dan Creviston, manager of George Street Photo and Video in Chicago and a professional wedding photographer. But you have to know how to do that.

Underexpose Let in too much light and your blue sky looks white, and your beautiful orange leaves will look pale. With a fully automatic camera, focus on the best color in the shot or the background.

Then, hold your shutter halfway down and the camera will meter the image, which allows you to expose for the most vivid visual element.

Think outside the frame If you're shooting a tree, lie down flat on your back and look at the tree like an ant. That view can be much more interesting. Or: Climb that tree and get a bird's-eye view. That's two shots of the same tree that will look like they came from different locations.

Don't just shoot a tree, shoot through it Shooting through leaves allows you to get the effects of light and color. As the leaves get sparse, you'll notice your main subject through them. It's one way to play with the foreground/ background subject matter.The sky has colors too.

A really dramatic photo will come when you wait for the sky to turn colors; the horizon is very white, you're facing west, and the sky above you is deep blue, like the ocean.

Behind you, there might be a few stars out.Noon?

Nooo. High noon is one of the worst times to shoot. The shadows are so harsh; go out at 5 or 6 o'clock this time of year. "The magic hour," we call it.

Spray? Yeah! If you want to show off the color of an object, spray it down with a little water. Just a few squirts can show depth and detail. But that only works with inanimate objects. Obviously you can't do that if you're shooting people!

Canon kudos I get questions on what camera to use a lot from amateur photographers. Canon A series cameras are amazing; they have a flip-out screen, which is excellent for holding the camera down by your knees and still being able to see the image. Or you can hold it very high and still see the composition of your shots. That gives you a competitive edge. They also have very big lenses. One of the reasons a photo taken on a cell phone looks so lousy is that the lens is so tiny.

Don't be shy; snap away In a series of those shots with beautiful scenery, I always recommend taking at least a dozen shots. I think people are still used to film, but you can always get back in your car and delete half of those shots. A few are going to stand out as excellent in quality.

Use dimension We say of good pictures that the image just pops out of the screen. With a field, there will be plants a few feet from you, and objects that are 100 yards from you. Use that to your advantage. Parting shot: Take your camera 10 everywhere!

The fact that you have a camera on you is crucial enough. How many times have you said in your life, "If I only had a camera?" Digital cameras these days fit anywhere and they're relatively inexpensive.